The Mandinka of the Gambia are the western branch of the Mande peoples; they look back to the
time of Sunjata and the leadership of Tira Magan Traore for their origins (the text of Bamba Suso
in Innes 1974 illustrates this perception). In the 18th and 19th centuries, the society was dominated
by the nyanchos, a warrior aristocracy devoted to slave-raiding for the Atlantic trade; the figure
of Kelefa Sane evokes the ethos of this period. Around 1867, ongoing hostilities with the Muslim
Fulbe of the Futa Jallon led to warfare, and the Almami of Timbo led an army that captured
Kansala, capital of Kaabu. In a sense, the modern Gambia dates from this period.

This listing includes Sunjata texts and hunters' narratives that also appear separately in the
specialized sections. Following the table of performances is a list of sources and secondary readings.